Business enterprises use computer-implemented management systems to model supply chains and to provide plans for producing and delivering products and services to customers. Typically, management systems address planning decisions as constrained optimization problems. For example, in a manufacturing environment, a management system may schedule a sequence of tasks for a piece of manufacturing equipment. The management system might specify start times for each task according to one or more optimization criteria, such as minimizing inventory, maximizing profit, or maximizing resource utilization. The management system might also consider various constraints, such as the capabilities of the equipment or deadlines by which products must be delivered to customers. Previous systems are inadequate for many needs, particularly with respect to the manner in which planning information associated with supply chains is provided to users of these systems.